Amusement-railway.



A l PATENTBD MAR. 13, 1906.

F, A. GERRUTI. AMUSEMENT RAILWAY.

No. 814,939y

APPLICATION FILED 00T. 6, 1905.

3 SHEETS-*SHEET 3.

therturned lin the same direction itis car- To all, whom t may concern: v

on'rrnn STATES PATENT onirica.

FRANK A. CERRTI., or NEW YORK, N. Y.

i AMUSENIENT-RALW-AY. A

No, S14-,eee

Specification' of Letters Patent.

Patented Marcil 13,1906.

Application led October 6,1905. Serial No, 281,565.

Be it known that I, FRANK A. CERRUTI, a citlzen of the United States, residing in the borough cf the Bronx, in thecity and State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Amusement-.Rail-l ways, of which the following isa speciiication.

The improvement applies both to the cars and to the railway structure. It is intended more particularly tor parks, picnic-grounds,

- sea-shore resorts, and the like, and I will describe it as thus applied.

The invention relates to the popular class4 of apparatus lin which 'a car is carried up an' incline by any suitable power and caused to perform'unusual movements while allowed to run by gravity down'a sloping way. I propose to use either gravity or power to effect the movements. I make the car practically doublean outer structure carrying the wheels, doors, Windows, oto., with eXtra provisions for serving in uncommon positions tobe required, and the inner structure turning on swivels and hangers therein and holding the ass'enger right vside up throughout the who e journey. I will sometimes refer to the inner structure as a basket.` I

provide for causing tne outer portion to turn completely over in its course. For a time the "roof and bottom act as the sides, while the sides act as top and bottom. This is followed by a period during which it runs for a time completely upside down, and these periods are followed by others in which being furried along with its opposite side lowermost and finally restoredtolts original position. i The construction is absolutely safe and harmless, while amil-singly confusing td the passengers. When the car is completely inverted, the bottom serves as' the roof and the windows and sides are upside down, making the passengers feel that they are upside down,

Whereas this is only an illusion. Spectators on.v the outside will see the ear turn com- Y pletely over and will feel that the passengers are severely `iostled, vwhile the passengers are all the while serenely seated right side up.

The invention may serve successfully with the rails simply extending helically around a straight central lin-e. I have done more 'than that; the central .line of the car-the axis of the basket-moves also in a helical path. These two kinds ofvhelicaltravel arranged to coincide. YA. iahisgives-great-eifiect vlarge proportion of the route involving the graduallyclimbing place and the arresting of the motion, if it shali have been rapid, and, the-return or the car to and up the incline may be eiiected on an ordinary single and approximately level track. The meline up which the car is caused to climb again to the starting-point may also be an ordinary track.

The' following 1s a description of ,what I consider the best means of carrying out the invention:

The accompanying drawings form a h of this specification. Figure 1.' p the interior orloasket o er1-topped. Flg. 21s,'

cross-section on the line 2 2 inFig. 2a shows a portion detached'. Fig. on asmaller scale.

anend elevation seen om theleft, palitlin ig"- a side elevation ofy thecar with i Itis a plan view shI lWin'gtlieA first portion of the helical descending part, of I the track with the car in three ositions.

A Fig. 4 shows the lower portion of t e helical descending part of the track with thecar in three positions and part of a fourth]` I 5 is a 4plan view or diagram on a still Smale; 'f y scale.' The heavy line indicates theportwnyg I shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the descending por;

tion of the route. A'The thinner line indicate/s the continuation, making the routeendlless. Similar v.letters of reference indicate ,like

parts in all the iigures where they appearff l B is the main outsideframework. At each..

end, in the center thereof, isI a large swivel, from which is suspended a hanger. Dwhich supports the inner compartment D, which we may term the basket .Thelff/ main IOC structure Bis provided with two truck/s having each two pairs of'wheels F, which serve in the ordinary upright position of the car. It also carriesfour pairs of wheels G', one pair near each end on each side:A The main structure or car proper, B, also carries oneachside small wheels l., adapted to serve laterallyfon the outer side oi' each truck E. There are thus ten pairs olt wheels. each arranged to contact with more or less force-with correspending rails Af A2, etc. tion one .set of rails serves with the proper In any given posi` wheels to mainly support the load Inn all positions all these rails and wheels contribute to guide and to insure the certainty and safety of the operation. Observe there are two rails A A', which contact with the wheels F of the truck. In addition there are two rails A2 AL on the left side of thecar for the left side wheels G and two rails A3 A3 at the top of the car for the top wheels H and two rails A4; A" on the right side which serve with thel right wheels. Besides all these there is one rail, (marked A7,) which may be lighter, along each side for the truck side wheels I, l

There isY an electrical contact J in case it shall berequired to have the cars run by electricity, the trucks being supplied with motors of any convenient style. (Not shown. K isa controller adapted to perform its ohvious functions.

E2 E2 are benches extending lengthwise along the interior of the car, with an aisle between. i take care to have the doorway bywhich to enter and leave the basket D, in

a lposition exactly coinciding with the doorway c in the outerstructure B, so thatl when the body B is right side up and the basket is Alocked passengers may move in and out through the doorways as if they were one.

' in Fig. 3 the side rails A2, A4, and A7 are omitted to avoid a confusing multiplicity ol lines.

The car starts from the landing W in the position shown in Fig. 2, which will term the upright Iposition. The right -hand rail of the pair A gradually rises at beginning ol." curve Aendiwhen the car arrives at W2 is'directly over its mate, the left-hand rail A. Now the roof is on the leftehand side7 the bottom B is on the right-hand side, the side i3"l of the car is uppcrn'iost, and the side B'j of the ear is at the bottom. The turning motion. continuing', the bottom B continues to rise until it is on the top, so that thecar has then been completely overturned, the bot- 'tom B being at the top. the top B at the bottom, theleiftehand side lilg on the right-hand Side,v andthe right-hand side B" of tne car on. the left-hand side. The same process is continued andVv inally`the car is again upright and is in the same position as when it started.

M is a detachable device which will ordinarilyzbeused only at the landing-place lV when the car is standing still to let out and take' in passengers. it serves the double duty of a gang-plank and means for engaging ,and stiflly holding the inner part-the basket D`-against an turning or partially turning f motion.

` In the use of the a paratus the car is loaded at thelandingV, a owpointin the track, and

'on removing the gang-plank and locking de- Ivice M the whole its center of gravity. The. car is moved up the incline W by ordinary means, as a rope (not shown) o erated by a separate engine, and is liberate at the top and allowed to descend. There may be occasions on which it may be desired to move by power, and I provide electrical motors and connections to thus serve 5 but ordinarily gravi ty will in duce all the startlingly grotesque and peculiar ellects of the invention. in descending thel iirst part W2 ol" the route the main structure B turns on its left side. in this position its weight comes mainly on the left side wheels G. Moving smoothly und also slowly, if slow motion shall be found to be popular, (speed being controlled by ordinary means, a brake for slowing and electric power lor incrcu :ing the speerh) the car coutumes on its way, and in the last portion of the descent (that shown in Fig. 4) it has turned anothcrfourih of a revolution and now is completely inverted, its weight being carried mainly on the wheels lfl and rails Ail. At this time and all the time the basket lf) is held by its gravity in its proper position, right side up.

Fig. 5 shows the two portions properly joined together which are shown in two separate lengths in Figs. 3 and -ft and also shows a loop YW `in the track and the portions Wv5 YV, which latter are inclined. The inclination doesnot appear in this iigure, but will be readily understood. lt is the ordinary 'incans ol raising the carin amusementrailways. I

Modifications may be made without departing 'from the principle or sacrificing the advantages of the invention.

The structure and tracks as a whole have a continuous downward slope; but the slope may vary widely.

l provide special wheels and believe that the action is additionally safeguarded by using double ilanges. 'lhere being no switches or l'rogs in any oi" my series ollrails allows the use of such wheels. l can successfully use wheels wi th ordinary single ilangcs, should oc- :c sion, economy, or other reason prescribe it.

Parts of the inventionl may be used with out others. Additions may be made. Imay use more rails for the support of the cur or trucks should any deem it expedient.

'lhe car may bc curved at the ends, both top and side, as much as may be necessary in order to clear the side and top rails when rounding the curves. Also the center of the car between the wheels G may be indented to prevent any rail from brushing against it at this point in rounding curves.

The upper half of the basket is provided with a stout wire screen. ltinay be otherwise covered or maybe lett open, if preferred.

The top rails A3 may be omitted'over all the portieri of the track included inthe loop XV, thi` horizontal returning portion W5, and the ascending incline W6. So, also, may the IOO side rails to continue my' unusual, assurance of the absolute safety oi the passengers.

' hclicallyin combination with a carriagehavbelow, above, and on each side, in combinavbelow, above and. on each side, in combinagers, carried within the car and adapted tol side rails A, Aigand A7 be omitted in those [body revolves around it, all substantiallylas portions of the trackgbut lp'refer to-retainthe herein specied.

character described and acar adapted to run and be revolved therein, ,an internalbasket adaited tov maintain its upright position' Wh' e the niain body revolves around it and l claim as my invention*- v l.. A. pleasure-railway having lines of rails tion with a carriage havin corresponding Wheels, all substantially as erein specified.

when required, all 2. A pleasure-railway having lines of rails substantially as herein specified.

tion with a carriagehaving corresponding Wheels and having trucks on the under side and wheels carried on the sides thereof, ar-` ranged to directly receive any lateral pressure of such trucks'. i

3. A pleasure-railway having lines of rails below, above, and on each side,'arranged and be revolved in ,the inclosing Way thus formed, an internal basket adapted to main-V revolves 'around it and a device M adapted to perform the double functions of a angplank and locking means, substantial yKas herein specied.

Signed at NewYork city, in the county of ``l`\levvYork and State of New York, this 4th day of October, A. D. 1905.

. FRANK A; CERRUTT.

ing Correspending;` wheels, all'snbstantially as herein specified. f f 4 4. in combination with a railway of the character described and a car adapted torunV and be revolved therein, a basket for passen-l' l/Yitnesses: THOMAS DREW S'rErsoN,

maintain its uprightposition While the main l ELVIRA ltAsMUssEN.

5'. In combinationv with a railway ci' thef `provisions for locking such basket to the vcar 35 .5. ln combination with a railway of the character described and a car adapted to run tain its upright position While' the main body 

